Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Swallow-tailed Kite Migration: Birds on the move

MIA has coursed up through Central America, making his way to northern Nicaragua. With a tailwind, he could fly directly from Honduras, overwater to the Yucatan, or even all the way to Florida. We’ll see by the next report.

Day and Gulf Hammock have both safely crossed the Colombian Andes. Day is ahead by 130 miles in the Choco region of Colombia while Gulf Hammock is in Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

Also within Colombia are Pace in Meta, and Suwannee, 80 miles south in Caqueta. Both are nearing the Andes, a dangerous place for kites.

Slidell has shifted her path farther to the west and is now in Loreto, Peru, now closer to the pathway of the eight satellite-tracked kites who are ahead of her.

After a few days rest in Rondonia, Brazil, Palmetto has made her way to the northeastern corner of Bolivia.

PearlMS, the last to leave his winter range, trails Palmetto 60 miles to the south and is over an extensive forested area in northwestern Rondonia, Brazil.

The Swallow-tailed Kite blog is sponsored by:

Avian Research and Conservation Institute

Once seen along the Mississippi River as far north as Minnesota, the Swallow-tailed Kite's range is now just a third its historic size. In the last 40 years, up to 80% of formerly common bird species have declined.

ARCI works to develop management techniques for these at-risk birds, but we must apply them now, before their recovery becomes impossible.

Since 1996, we have used satellite telemetry to study the ecology of Swallow-tailed Kites, including the 10,000 mile migration they make each year to the humid plains of Brazil and back to the lowlands of the southeast U.S.

Avian Research and Conservation Institute (ARCI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has gained attention and respect for difficult, problem-solving research on rare and imperiled birds.